The present invention generally relates to apparatus for opening the tops of erected cartons, presenting the opened carton for loading, and/or closing the loaded carton, particularly to apparatus for closing the loaded cartons of the tubular type by fan folding the closure flaps, and specifically to apparatus for handling tubular cartons which have been previously utilized or which have not been previously utilized.
Many types of products are stored and transported in cartons which hold multiple products. Once reaching their final destination, the products are removed from the carton such as for their retail sale, and the carton is disposed of. Although previously such used cartons were simply disposed of as waste, with increasing ecological and environmental awareness, such used cartons are often recycled. However, to further enhance the reduction of waste, it has become desirable for the cartons to be reused multiple times (such as on the average of eight times) before they are recycled or otherwise disposed of. It can then be appreciated that with the product removed, it is then desired that the carton be stored and transported in a flat or collapsed condition for space reduction to the factory or similar location where the carton is again erected or set up for reuse by again filling the carton with product.
Various types of packaging machines exist for opening, loading, and/or closing cartons. However, most existing packaging machines were designed to handle cartons which have not been previously utilized and which have not been previously erected or set up. Cartons which have been previously used and then returned to their flat or collapsed condition for reuse are not as rigid as new cartons and are more difficult to automatically, mechanically handle. Thus, many prior packaging machines had difficulty handling used cartons. This difficulty is further complicated as cartons at various stages of their lives from being new to being reused their first or second time to being reused their last time and thus of varying degrees of rigidity and ease of handling are intermixed in their collapsed condition in the carton magazine or hopper of the packaging machines.
Additionally, it is desired that the reuse of cartons be as competitive as possible with utilizing only new cartons in packaging in addition to the ecological advantages gained by reuse. Towards that end, it is desired that handling of the reused carton be made as minimal and as easy as possible.
Thus a need exists for apparatus for mechanically handling cartons and specifically which is able to handle without difficulty intermixed cartons at various stages of their lives and which allows ease and minimization of handling reused cartons.